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Interesting Self-Defense Stories

Tragedies, blunders and strange successes

There are no lack of interesting self-defense stories - that's for sure! Just give us the time to dig them up, and you'll be amazed...

Side note: Just a quick reminder about all the free stuff inside 'The Martial Arts Vault'; check it out!

So, this page is dedicated to interesting self-defense stories, reports about self defence, blunders, mishaps and so on. You will also find tales about some quite extraordinary smart and talented people...

Tales of the bizarre, ignorant and senseless:

By the term "strange" i do mean things out of the ordinary (whatever ordinary might be, come to think of it :) Strange may equal to stupid, bizarre, weird, really different, ignorant, left-field, self-inflicted, hoplessly optimistic, senseless etc. Folks: I am positive you get the picture :-)

If you happen to know about someone or something that could pass amongst these strange fighting arts and self-defense stories - please don't hesitate, but send us your interesting self-defense stories here!

So without further ado - here are some stories and reports that have made me (and others) shrugh, sigh, blush, chuckle, smile or laugh.

Kalyan girl received bravery award:

From: http://www.mumbaipluses.com
(March 2, 2008):

India -- -- Seventeen-year-old Monal Kadlak from the Khadakpada area in Kalyan showed exemplary bravery in catching a mugger who was trying to flee after snatching her gold chain in 2005.

The Thane police recently thanked the teenager after she single-handedly nabbed the chain snatcher. She was presented with a certificate of appreciation and a memento along with a cash prize for her bravery.

Being asked what inspired her to the brave act, the first year college student said, "I knew that I had to act and not cow down. I have learnt karate and this helped me a lot in boosting my confidence."

Read the rest of the story on Mumbaipluses.com

Karate taught son to escape, dad says:

From: bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1072327
(February 9, 2008):

Massachusetts -- No one came to the aid of a 10-year-old Belmont boy as he was being dragged from his school by a would-be abductor.

So the boy laid down the "Fist Law," the literal translation of Kenpo Karate, which he's studied for three years.

The kid kicked and shouted as his attacker gripped his arm and dragged him for a quarter of a mile until eventually the boy's efforts paid off. The attacker's grip loosened and the boy could run home.

Read the rest of the story on Bostonherald.com

Marathon runner fought and caught intruder:

From: http://www.sun-sentinel.com
(January 20, 2008):

Florida -- "I outran the intruder," a marathon runner said. "He had no cardiovascular system."

Before the chase, the 53-year-old woman - who also has a black belt in karate and who is skilled in kickboxing and kung fu - dragged the 24-year-old burglar down from a fence, threw him to the ground, and put her knee to his chest.

The couple had struggled for a few minutes before the man dropped the bag he had taken and started running.

Read the rest of the story on Sun-sentinel.com

Sent attackers fleeing with Hong Kong fu:

From: http://www.cairnspost.com.au/article/2007/12/20/4839_news.html
(December 20, 2007):

Australia -- Two young thugs held a pocketknife to the throat of 10-year-old Lana Welsh, but the Bentley Park girl lashed out and sent her attackers fleeing with martial arts moves she learned from a Hollywood blockbuster.

The girl, who has never taken a self-defense class, said she had learned the karate moves by watching Shanghai Knights, starring Jackie Chan.

"I got him by the arm that had the knife and twisted it and threw him on to the ground," Lana said. The boy, aged about 12, was sprawled on the path, stunned by her fightback. "He threw the knife at my sister and ran," she said.

Read the rest of the story on Cairnspost.com.au

'Flasher wrestler' arrested:

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
(December 6, 2007):

A 17-year-old son of a former police officer wrestled a "flasher" to the ground after the man allegedly exposed himself to his female friend. The karate black belt has now been arrested on suspicion of assault.

Officers initially arrested the man on suspicion of indecent exposure and took him in for questioning. He was released the next day without charge, and made a counter claim of assault.

The man is understood to have complained about scratches and bruises he suffered after being held on the ground.

Read the rest of the story on Dailymail.co.uk

Teenage brown belt saved the day:

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
(November 23, 2007):

Teenage brown belt Rebecca Kelly saved the day when her parents were attacked by a Taser-wielding junkie as they picked her up from a karate lesson.

The 13-year-old put her martial arts skills to the test after a drug-crazed yob lunged at her mother, Diane, 53, with the weapon, which temporarily paralyses people with a huge electric shock, as she waited in the car for her daughter.

The girl, who was still wearing her white suit, jumped onto the 29-year-old attacker, as he was trying to drag her mum from their car.

The prosecutor told Leeds Crown Court: "Rebecca pulled the suspect away and shouted 'What do you think you are doing?'" She jumped onto his back, but in the scuffle he turned round and zapped her with the gun.

Read the rest of the story on Dailymail.co.uk

Fighting off man with saw:

From: http://www.sun-sentinel.com
(September 10, 2007):

Florida -- A 17-year-old high school senior said his friends had just picked up a compressor for a robotics high school competition. He said goodbye and went back inside the house to wait for the cables he would also need, leaving the front door open.

Moments later, the hapkido student said, the 6-foot, 300-pound neighbor walked in with a chain saw belonging to the teen's 56-year-old father. Screaming and spewing obscenities, the neighbor tried, in vain, to rev up the tool.

The teenager managed to grab the 18-inch saw and ordered the intruder out. The man refused to go, screamed and wandered around the house. The boy, at 5 feet 6 and 210 pounds, managed to push him to the door frame, where they grappled.

Desperate, the teenager said he shoved his index and middle fingers into the man's eye socket. "His head went up, he lost his balance, and that gave me time to close the door," he said.

Read the rest of the story on Sun-sentinel.com

Actor turns his sword on muggers:

From: http://www.oxfordmail.net
(August 16, 2007):

UK -- When three muggers picked out Oxford actor Tom Clews to steal his cash in the street, they chose the wrong man.

Perhaps they should have decided a 20-year-old carrying a 3ft-long broadsword wasn't the ideal target, but they carried on as they pinched a £20 note from his hand and ran away down the road.

But Mr Clews - who was starring as Greek mythical hero Odysseus at the Edinburgh Fringe - chased them down while bare-chested and brandishing his solid-metal stage weapon.

Mr Clews, from Headington, tripped up one of the gang with his sword then wrestled with them in the street before snatching his money back. When police arrived they hauled in the gang because they were wanted for a similar theft on festival-goers earlier that evening.

Mr Clews, who practices the martial art Tae Kwon Do and plans to study Fight Choreography and Stage Combat, said yesterday: "I followed them hurling abuse and something hit me in the face, I don't know what it was, but I didn't get any cuts or scars.

Read the rest of the story on Oxfordmail.net

Don't put meat cleaver in trousers:

From: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-04/05/content_844254.htm
(April 5, 2007):

Pretending to be an express courier, a 24-year-old robber was permitted entry in a trading company in Hong Kong.

He then tried to attack the receptionist with a stun gun but she fought back. The stun gun dropped to the ground in the scuffle.

When the robber bent to pick it up, a sharp cleaver he hid in his trousers pierced an artery in his thigh. The man tried to flee but collapsed in a pool of blood. He died of major blood loss.

Read the rest of the story on Chinadaily.com.cn

Karate kick Buster, 100, floors gang:

From: metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=39307&in_page_id=2
(February 28, 2007):

Britain's oldest worker told on Wednesday how he fought off a gang of would-be muggers – using kung fu. Buster Martin showed that, even at 100, he still knew how to handle himself when he was confronted by the teenagers after a night at the pub.

The World War II veteran scared his three attackers so much they fled empty-handed. Mr Martin, a car washer-cum-mechanic, said: 'They just came at me and pushed me against a wall and tried to take my money from me.

'Then they pushed me on the floor and I went mad. I was lashing out on the floor and then I stood up and was kicking them all.

'I pushed one and kung fu kicked the other one between the legs and he let out a scream. They ran off scared after I did that and I still had all my money.'

Read the rest of the story on Metro.co.uk

Would-be thief subdued by optician, workers:

From: http://www.timesdispatch.com
(December 20, 2006):

A thief with decent vision, not to mention foresight, would never try to rob optician Tom Kirkland.

Kirklands designer eyeglass store in Richmond is across the street from a Capitol police station.

Kirkland, 51, is armed, and hes an instructor in karate. His sales associate, Neal Griffin, 39, is a bodybuilder.

This guy walked into the wrong store, police said.

Read the rest of the story on Timesdispatch.com

Yobs pick on wrong OAP:

From: http://www.ananova.com
(November 10, 2006):

Three thugs who tried to mug a pensioner got a shock - when he turned out to be an ex-Army boxing champ.

George Bayliss, 67, of Bury St Edmunds, had just drawn his pension at the post office when the gang demanded his cash.

The retired builder, who boxed for England in the 1960s, hit the ringleader with a left hook to the chin and his pals fled empty-handed.

Mr Bayliss, the Army's middleweight champion from 1958 to 1960, told the Sun: "They picked on the wrong pensioner."

Read the rest of the story on Ananova.com

Elle Macpherson calmly fights off mugger:

From: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005459265
(November 9, 2006):

Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson fought off a mugger Tuesday night on her way to a charity function in London. Macpherson was attacked just as she was crossing the road to the Move For AIDS VIP charity function's red carpet.

A witness tells London's Daily Star newspaper, "We all just looked in horror as we saw a figure in a hoody come out of the shadows.

"But as soon as he grabbed for Elle's bag, she swung around quite calmly, just went for his arm and got her bag ... it looked so simple. The mugger ... staggered back, then ran for it. The lights changed and we tried to follow, but he managed to get away."

Macpherson is known to use the martial art Tai Chi for meditation and relaxation.

Read the rest of the story on Allheadlinenews.com

Nice kick!:

From: http://www.kgw.com
(October 25, 2006):

Oregon -- A female jogger was groped on a dark and foggy path early Tuesday morning in Wilsonville, she told police.

The woman was jogging about 5:45 a.m. when a man approached, "wrapping his arms around her" and "clutching her while grabbing her buttocks with each of his hands," said a spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect reportedly said, "nice ass, baby." After breaking free, the woman kicked him twice in the groin.

"The suspect keeled over slightly and stated, "nice kick," the spokesman said.

Read the rest of the story on Kgw.com

Fighting spirit saves pensioner from attack:

From: http://today.reuters.co.uk
(October 23, 2006):

A 70-year-old British pensioner, trained in martial arts during his military service, dispatched a gang of four would-be muggers in a late-night attack in Germany.

The man, a native of Birmingham who now lives in Germany, was challenged by three men, demanding money, while a fourth crept up behind him. Recalling his training, the Briton grabbed the first assailant and threw him over his shoulder.

When a second man tried to kick him, the pensioner grabbed his foot and tipped him to the ground. At this point, the three men, thought to be aged between 18 and 25, fled, carrying their injured accomplice with them.

Read the rest of the story on Today.reuters.co.uk

Muggers flee after boxer turns on them:

From: http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=5220&date=20061014
(October 14, 2006):

Sweden -- An attempted robbery in Västerås on Saturday night ended in ignominious failure for the two young assailants. The attack on their supposed victim, a 70 year old man, began just after midnight with a punch in his face.

What they didn't know was that the 70 year old used to be a boxer. And it didn't take long for the old moves to come back.

The man gave as good as he got - and then some more - and the robbers legged it.

Read the rest of the story on Thelocal.se

Store Customer Helps Apprehend Suspected Thief:

From: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=439736
(August 22, 2006):

The culprit was only out of jail for a couple of hours and must've missed it; police say the first thing he did after getting out of jail was steal from a store.

One of the store clerks went outside to confront him about stealing cigarettes. He turned around and punched her, and would've hit her again if not for a good Samaritan who knows something about self defense.

James Sjostrom immediately ran outside to help. The thief tried to punch him, but missed. In no time, Sjostrom had him down.

"I just grabbed him and threw him on the ground and sat on him and waited for the police to arrive. I was trained in the marines as a close combat instructor, so I'm pretty familiar with takedown techniques."

Read the rest of the story on Ksl.com

Shreveport reports odd armed robberies Sunday:

From: http://www.shreveporttimes.com
(August 14, 2006):

According to a report, 42-year-old James T. Hill of Shreveport, was walking when he was approached by two men.

But what struck Hill as most noteworthy, the report indicated, were the men's accessories: several handguns for the first robber, and one nickel-plated gun held by the second.

According to reports, Hill said he was approached by the men, who demanded his wallet at gunpoint. As he left after being robbed, the robbers ran after him, and he apparently had enough, the report said.

Hill told investigators he "commenced a martial arts kick" and knocked the gun out of one of the robbers' hands and started wrestling with his attackers.

According to the report, an unidentified man then left a nearby house, armed with a shotgun and threatened to shoot Hill. Hill fled on foot and went to a nearby convenience store to purchase a beer, reports continued, but the store was closed.

Read the rest of the story on Shreveporttimes.com

Woman with baseball bat fends off man with dumbbell:

From: montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/15243521.htm
(August 10, 2006):

California -- A man armed with a dumbbell attempted to assault a Greenfield man in his home, according to Sheriff's deputies. He was beaten away by a woman with a baseball bat, deputies reported.

The incident allegedly took place late Wednesday afternoon in Greenfield.

Deputies said a 27-year-old man entered the house with the intention of fighting a man, but the would-be victim's mother used the bat to stave off the attack.

Read the rest of the story on montereyherald.com

Nigerian man confuses himself with a stegosaurus:

From: http://punkassblog.com
(July 2, 2006):

A 21-year-old man who was Wednesday convicted for attempted rape told a Jabi Chief Magistrates’ Court that his penis should be blamed for the offence.

Read the rest of the story on Punkassblog.com

Granny floors intruder with TV karate moves:

From: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/04/10/karate_granny/
(April 10, 2006):

We've said it before and we'll say it again: what on Earth is happening to the world's pensioners?

Over in Lithuania, battling old timers prefer to burn off their excess energy by giving burglars' testicles a good seeing to - and we don't mean in the prosecution of a blue rinse smut flick, either.

Ditto Romania, where a 75-year-old woman recently floored an intruder with some sharp karate moves she picked up on a TV self defence show.

Anica D from the village of Popeni in Vaslui county woke up to find her self being assaulted by the night-time ne'er-do-well. She shouted for help, but none was forthcoming.

Accordingly, she "immobilised" the assailant and then called in the authorities, Romanian paper Ziarul reports.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

Motel maids battle with mop and plunger:

From: http://www.ananova.com
(March 9, 2006):

A fight between two motel maids, armed with a plunger and a mop, ended with one in hospital and the other in jail.

The women accused each other of taking toilet rolls from each other's cleaning carts at a motel in Charleston, South Carolina.

Police were called after the fight left one of the women, 52, with a welt requiring hospital treatment, reports the Post and Courier.

The other maid, Deloris Smith, 47, told police she was defending herself from a woman wielding a plunger.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

Intruder beset by own pupils:

From: http://www.washingtonpost.com
(February 23, 2006):

The masked man had a plan.

He would enter the Vienna family's townhouse in the middle of the night, gag them with strips of a towel, bind their hands and feet with plastic ties and then stealthily strip their home of jewels, cash and electronics.

The residents had another plan.

Two 10-year-old sisters, asleep in their beds when the masked man tried to bind one of them, fought and kicked and screamed and bit. Then the parents leapt into the fray, and the intruder retreated with nothing but cuts and bruises.

Yesterday, Andrew Jacobs, 43, admitted in a Fairfax County courtroom that he was the masked man. He was also the girls' karate instructor -- and he apparently taught the twin sisters, who have blue belts, how to protect themselves.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

Clerk describes battling blowtorch bandit:

From: http://nbcsandiego.com/news/7157066/detail.html?rss=dgo&psp=news
(February 17, 2006):

Store clerk Eric Piva fought off the robber on New Year's Eve at the Valero Gas Station in Encinitas on Birmingham Drive. Sheriff's investigators are hoping the public can help identify the bandit, who is a white man in his 50s or 60s.

"He had on a Gilligan hat and mirrored glasses -- you know ... aviator glasses. I thought it was Halloween, but it wasn't the right season," Piva said, chuckling.

What happened next was no laughing matter.

"Load it," said the bandit, gesturing to a large nylon bag he had placed on the counter.

"Are you crazy?" Piva asked the bandit.

"I am," was the response.

The bandit can be seen lighting the torch on tape as Piva ran toward him with Polynesian headhunting club. You can see the robber light it as Piva comes at him.

"I knew he was serious," said Piva. "My instinct [was] to just turn around, and I tried to beat him up."

Piva repeatedly hit the blowtorch bandit, who fled almost immediately, with the club.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

'Monster' killed wife No 6:

From: news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1876846,00.html
(February 7, 2006):

Johannesburg - A Pretoria pest controller who fatally shot his wife after she attacked him with a blunt sword was jailed on Tuesday for at least 10 months.

Judge Johan Els sentenced Izak Jansen, 50, of Uitzicht to five years' imprisonment in terms of the Criminal Procedures Act, making him eligible for parole after he has served 10 months of his jail sentence.

Jansen said that in May 2004 he shot dead his 32-year-old alcoholic wife, Lizelle, in self-defence after she had attacked him with her handbag, a wooden statue and a blunt ornamental sword.

The court found that although Mrs Jansen had been drunk and attacked her husband, he had exceeded the bounds of self-defence and found him guilty of culpable homicide.

Els said it was not improbable that Jansen may have shot his wife twice in desperation.

On Tuesday, a quite-different picture emerged in a report by probation officer René Pretorius.

Pretorius, who interviewed Jansen's parents-in-law and two of his five previous wives among others, said Jansen had a worrying pattern of behaviour in his relationships with women, marked by jealousy, manipulation and violence.

Two of his ex-wives regarded him as a "terrible danger" to society and said he should be locked up to protect other women.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

Self-defense: What is self-defense?:

From: http://www.valleybusinessjournal.com/?p=249
(February 3, 2006):

I’ve been battling this for years. I have devoted a good part of my life to this pursuit of “Self-Defense”. I’ve trained in a Martial Art for years, trained in Kick-Boxing, fought in Full Contact Kick-Boxing, attended numerous self-defense type seminars and still didn’t have a concept of what self-defense really was. As a matter of fact I’m not so sure that the skills that I had at the time would have done me any good in a real life-threatening situation.

As the, Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women, puts it:
“ Self-defense is a set of awareness, assertiveness, verbal confrontation skills, safety strategies, and physical techniques that enable someone to successfully prevent, escape, resist and survive violent assaults”.

Aaaaah, not just physical techniques! That’s the key, that’s what was missing in my training, and the training I was giving to others. See I had the techniques, or thought I did, and was teaching these skills, but that is not enough, as the following will explain.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

He wanted bagels, but then he wanted dough:

From: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006602020385
(February 2, 2006):

He ordered two plain bagels -- then demanded cash.

But the robbery attempt failed, police said. The man went into New York Bagel Baking Co., 19731 W. Twelve Mile, about 5:45 p.m. Jan. 24.

A 53-year-old employee told police the man presented her with a note announcing the robbery. She grabbed a knife, backed up to a phone and dialed 911.

She told police that the man then left the store -- with the bagels.

Kindy teachers offered self-defence to combat feisty kids:

From: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3561087a11,00.html
(February 2, 2006):

Kindergarten teachers are being offered self-defence training in a bid to combat biting, hitting and hair-pulling youngsters.

The programme, funded by the Ministry of Education, trains teachers to deal with "crisis situations", the Manawatu Standard reported today.

Josh Couperus, one of four people from the ministry's Group Special Education which runs the course, said it covers "how to stop a punch, a kick, choking, biting, hair-pulling, and they also learn restraint techniques".

"Kindy teachers certainly get bitten and certainly get hit."

The course teaches how to identify and manage potentially dangerous situations and prevent them from turning violent.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

James gives burglar the Blunt treatment:

From: soundgenerator.com/news/index.cfm?articleid=6922&maingenreid=3
(January 30, 2006):

James Blunt had a narrow escape with a burglar recently while attending an awards ceremony in France on January 21st.

The hit singer/songwriter, who's "Back To Bedlam" was the UK's biggest selling record of 2005 (and has recently entered the US top ten), was in Cannes, France, to accept an NRJ Radio Award and was staying at the reclusive Martinez Hotel.

According to Blunt, the Best Newcomer trophy is the perfect device for staving off burglars.

"It was pitch black in the room so I couldn't really seen anything," he says. I was looking for a phone to ring downstairs, or for an emergency button to push, but the only thing I could find was my NRJ award. It's a big solid lump, so I picked it up and whacked him.

"He then threw himself off the balcony and ran away."

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

Cashier slapped robber:

From: http://www.ananova.com
(January 30, 2006):

An armed robber fled after a cashier in a betting shop pulled off his mask and slapped him round the face.

Ana Zuric, 47, unfazed by the robber's gun, told him: "Don't be such a silly boy."

The robber had demanded he hand over the day's takings at the betting shop in the Croatian capital Zagreb.

But he fled empty handed after she pulled off his mask and slapped him across the face, local media reported.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

Cartoonist quick on the draw:

From: http://www.ananova.com
(January 18, 2006):

A burglar who stole from a cartoonist in Australia was arrested - after his victim drew his picture.

Bill Green, 82, known for his pictures of sports stars, saw the man take a cycle from his shed, says the Mirror.

He gave his sketch to police who matched it to a man arrested for a different theft in Melbourne, Australia.

Senior Constable Michael Henry said: "Holding up the cartoon, officers were amazed to find it was the spitting image of the man in the back of their paddy wagon."

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

Bank robber referred to next counter:

From: http://www.ananova.com
(December 7, 2005):

A bank robber fled empty-handed in Austria after being referred to a different counter.

The clerk he approached told him she did not "deal with those types of queries".

But there was a big queue for the next cashier at the Landeskbank-Hypothekenbank in Vienna.

So the man, who was holding a silver box that he claimed was a bomb, fled before repeating his request.

"It was only afterwards I realised he was trying to rob the bank. We called the police, but by the time they came he had run off."

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

Area cop jailed:

From: http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/2241201.html
(July 16, 2005):

A Mexico Beach police officer is being charged with child abuse.

Gulf County sheriff's investigators arrested 34-year-old Timothy E. M. based on a complaint filed on January 17 by the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The initial report was that M. had beaten his 11-year-old son. Investigators say they found bruises on the boy’s neck and face.

M. said he was teaching his son self-defense techniques, and the boy did not block one of his punches.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

Man scares off robbers by faking seizure:

From: http://story.news.yahoo.com
(June 14, 2004):

Hong Kong - An Australian man visiting a southern Chinese city scared off robbers demanding the security code for his ATM card by faking an epileptic seizure.

Tom Beckett was lured into a dead-end alley by two women who said they would take him to a DVD shop in Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong. Five robbers then showed up and took him hostage in a nearby building, the Sunday Morning Post reported.

After finding an automated teller machine card on Beckett, the robbers asked for the number, but Beckett, with his mouth taped, feigned an epileptic seizure, the report said.

The robbers tried to treat him by pouring water over him and massaging his chest — but only after taking his watch and cash, the Post reported.

"They obviously didn't want dead meat on their hands," Beckett was quoted as saying.

The robbers then escorted Beckett out of the building and set him free.

Clerk foils kidnapping attempt:

From: http://www.hesperiastar.com/story.php?id=456_0_1_0_M
(April 13, 2004):

At 12:46 on Monday, April 5, an unidentified 27-year-old Hesperia woman entered the 7-Eleven at Main Street and Maple Avenue to purchase a soft drink, and told the clerk on duty she was being kidnapped at gunpoint by her boyfriend.

The clerk called the police. The woman’s boyfriend, identified by the Hesperia Police Department as Hesperia resident Jorge Stopani, 25, was behind the wheel of a 2000 Chevrolet Malibu waiting for his girlfriend as police arrived, and fled as they approached.

Two concealed handguns were found on his person when Stopani was arrested, according to police.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

Would-be robber attacked by customer with hammer:

From: http://www.ananova.com
(March 23, 2004):

A masked gunman was hit on the head four times with a hammer after a customer intervened to stop an attempted robbery on a pizza shop.

The would-be robber had ordered everyone in Stoney's Pizza, Columbus, Ohio, to drop to the floor.

Witnesses said he searched an office for money, but when he couldn't open a till, he tried to get away.

But customer, JR Croy, used his truck to block the gunman's getaway and a sledgehammer to subdue him.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

88 year old former boxing champ KOs young mugger:

From: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050211/344/fc9t5.html
(February 11, 2004):

A young punk who tried to mug an 88-year-old picked the wrong man -- his intended victim turned out to be a former boxing champion who knocked the attacker out cold.

"I was visiting a friend's grave when a young, long-haired man came up to me and demanded I hand over my money," said granddad Gerhard Brinkmann of Halberstadt, Germany, who was the country's top lightweight boxer in 1936.

"I told him to come closer if he wanted it and, as he did, I landed a full-force right hook on his chin."

Knife-Wielding 90-Year-Old Sends Intruder Packing:

From: http://news.yahoo.com
(January 14, 2004):

90-year old New Zealand man grabbed a carving knife from his kitchen and chased away a masked intruder who had threatened his wife with a butter knife.

The intruder waved the flimsy weapon at David Saulbrey's wife when she tried to ring the police to report Tuesday's break-in at their home in Lower Hutt, near Wellington, the Dominion-Post newspaper reported.

Saulbrey, who failed to hear the hapless intruder's demand for money because he was not wearing his hearing aid, then beat the burglar in a search for a more threatening weapon.

"Once I got the carving knife I said: 'Now you bastard, you're for it.' With that he threw his knife at me and took off out the door," Saulbrey told the newspaper.

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

'Your arm is broken, Mr. Carjacker':

From: http://www.ardmoreite.com/stories/121003/loc_carjacking.shtml
(December 10, 2003):

And the moral of this story is: Don't be fooled by a relaxing "old" man kicked back with his boots off. Especially if that "old" man happens to be Pat Ratliff of Lone Grove.

That's the first mistake a Dallas carjacking team made a few days ago while scouting a parking lot for an easy mark. At 83, Ratliff can strike one as an easy mark.

"They shouldn't have done that," Ratliff remarked about the totally unexpected attack.

A red-headed woman and gun-toting male companion had the element of surprise on their side. That advantage didn't account for Pat's cool approach to just about any situation and his reputation as "the man who tears quarters with his bare fingers."

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Nabbed a thief, got no handcuffs? Use your teeth:

From: http://story.news.yahoo.com
(November 11, 2003):

A German with no handcuffs readily available captured a burglar by clamping his teeth onto the man's thumb and dragging him off to a neighbor's house.

"He couldn't use the phone himself...so the neighbor called the police," Duesseldorf police said a statement.

The thief received treatment for his injured thumb.

Man dies after wife squeezes testicles:

From: news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7101566^13762,00.html
(August 29, 2003):

Saut Chin, 46, was fed up with physical abuse from her husband when she grabbed his testicles until he passed out in the incident Tuesday, the Rasmei Kampuchea (Light of Cambodia) newspaper reported.

Fearing that her husband, Ouch Yan, 52, might regain consciousness and start beating her again, Saut Chin tied his neck with a scarf to a bed, the newspaper said.

The exact cause of Ouch Yan's death was not known.

The incident occurred in a village near Sihanoukville, a port city 185 kilometres southwest of Phnom Penh, news reports said.

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Screwdriver and rage foil would-be robber:

From: http://www.canada.com
(August 1, 2003):

Cathy Tan, 24, holds screwdriver she used to scare off thief at her family's Surrey grocery story.

The best defence is a good fencer.Store clerk Cathy Tan, a fencer and a fan of Kung Fu movies, took on a knife-wielding robber who demanded money from the till and won.

She sent him running with a well-aimed thrust of a big, honkin' screwdriver, just like in a Bruce Lee fight.

"People tell me I look younger than I am," Tan, 24 and five-feet-two, said last night. "I'm small. I'm not built like Xena. But I watch a lot of Kung Fu movies -- Hee-ah!"

Her decision to draw a 30-centimetre screwdriver and whack her assailant after he pulled out a 20-centimetre serrated kitchen knife comes from a background where "you earn what you get."

Read the rest here (pdf document). Open in new window here.

Phonecam helps foil alleged child kidnapping attempt:

From: http://www.boingboing.net/2003/08/01/phonecam_helps_foil_.html
(August 1, 2003):

Police say a 15-year-old boy foiled an abduction attempt by pulling out a phonecam and snapping photos of a man trying to lure him into a car, as well as the alleged abductor's license plates.

The teen gave the evidence to police, who arrested a suspect the next day.

"It's surprising the kid had the presence of mind to use the technology under duress," Det. Capt. Robert Rowan told The Record of Bergen County.

A spokeswoman for Sprint, whose phone the boy used, said she had never heard of someone using the new technology to catch a criminal.

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